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Man, 35, drank himself to death after consuming too much water
Last updated at 00:22am on 01.02.08
David Rogers died after drinking too much water during last year's London Marathon
Shaun McNamara was found on the floor of his bathroom last September after downing a massive quantity of water.
It was initially believed he had suffered a heart attack - but a post-mortem revealed that he had downed so much fluid rapidly that his brain had swollen.
This led to his bizarre death from water intoxication - a highly unusual cause which has very few recorded cases and is normally linked to marathon runners drinking too much water after a race.
In April last year, David Rogers a 22-year-old fitness instructor from Milton Keynes died from water intoxication after completing his first London Marathon.
Hyponatremia is when there is so much water in the body that it dilutes vital minerals such as sodium down to dangerous levels. It can lead to confusion, headaches and a fatal swelling of the brain.
At Shaun McNamara's inquest Dr Ian Reed, who carried out the post-mortem, said: "In 35 years as a pathologist, I have never come across such a case."
He added that excessive consumption of water could be associated with someone suffering psychological problems.
The inquest heard Shaun's devastated mum, Gillian, describe how her son had a long history of depression and anxiety and had been admitted to hospital after taking an overdose in 2005, something she considered "a cry for help".
Death from water intoxication is highly unusual and is normally linked to marathon runners drinking too much water after a race
But police who found Shaun's body at his home in York found no signs of self-harm or any indication that he wanted to commit suicide.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Donald Coverdale said: "This is indeed an unusual case and, I dare say that the consumption of excessive amounts of water may well have gone unnoticed by those around Mr McNamara, certainly less noticed than if he had been consuming large amounts of alcohol.
"It wasn't known to those around him that the quantity of water he was drinking was to prove fatal.
"There is no suggestion on the evidence that Mr McNamara had any intention of taking his own life by ingesting this large amount of water.
"I do believe what has happened here was effectively an accident. As to whether there was any psychological condition that caused him to take so much water, one can only speculate."
